A number of European and regional projects have been carried out during the last decades in order to address energy-related issues related to fossil fuel resources, Carbon capture and storage (CCS) capacity, geothermal energy potential, shale gas and shale oil plays etc. The initial version of EGDI makes available a few relevant datasets such as the maps contained in the Southern Permian Basin Atlas and some sample maps from the GeoMol projects, but more datasets are planned to be added in the future.

In the framework of EuroGeoSurveys, the GeoEnergy Expert Group provides a network that works within such projects to provide impartial, scientifically robust information to advance the understanding of fossil fuel energy and geothermal energy (geoenergy) resources in Europe, to contribute to plans for a secure energy future, to facilitate evaluation and responsible use of energy resources, and to analyse future geoenergy resources of Europe and possibilities of their sustainable use.